Ban Plastics From Albertsons' and Whole Foods Markets within 5 Years

Communities around the world (including ours in Idaho) are struggling with the issue of what to do with all the plastic being pushed on consumers (many simply trying to feed their families).

Plastic is made from oil. If we're ever going to wean ourselves from fossil fuels we must also wean ourselves of plastic packaging. An estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic end up in oceans each year, according to Greenpeace.

We are asking Mr. Bezos of Whole Foods and Mr. Miller of Albertsons' to follow the lead of Iceland Supermarket.

“The onus is on retailers, as leading contributors to plastic packaging pollution and waste, to take a stand and deliver meaningful change.*”

Iceland has become the first major retailer to commit to eliminate plastic packaging for all its own-brand products.

The supermarket chain, which specialises in frozen food, said it would go plastic-free within five years to help end the “scourge” of plastic pollution.

The current plastic packaging would be replaced with paper and pulp trays and paper bags, which would be recyclable through domestic waste collections or in-store recycling facilities.

The supermarket recently carried out a survey in which 80% of 5,000 people polled said they would endorse the move to go plastic-free.

Iceland managing director, *Richard Walker, said: “The world has woken up to the scourge of plastics. A truckload is entering our oceans every minute, causing untold damage to our marine environment and ultimately humanity – since we all depend on the oceans for our survival.

He also said Iceland would ensure all packaging was fully recyclable and would be recycled, through support for initiatives such as a bottle deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.